Box braids are boho chic, but getting them professionally done at a salon can be expensive. As long as you have enough time and patience, though, you can do it yourself at home. Here's what you need to know.

Steps

Part 1

Preparing Your Hair

1

Wash your hair with clarifying shampoo.[1] Hair loaded down with heavy residue and debris can be hard to braid smoothly and even harder to un-braid when the time comes. A clarifying shampoo is more effective at stripping away excess residue than most standard shampoos.

This is especially important if your hair is coated in impurities like waxes, thick oils, and chlorine. Build-up of these substances can make your hair feel brittle, like straw, and may make it difficult for you to condition your hair.

If your hair is especially dry, however, and you worry about drying your hair out further with a clarifying shampoo, you can still use a standard shampoo.

2

Apply a detangler or conditioner. You need to lock as much moisture into your hair as possible, so a conditioner is a good idea. A detangling conditioner or a moisturizing detangling spray is even better, though, since it also makes your hair smoother and easier to braid without knotting.

If you want to reduce the pH of your detangler and stretch it out further, you can dilute it with distilled water, aloe vera juice, apple cider vinegar, almond oil, or castor oil. A water-based substance, including juice and vinegar, should be mixed in a one to one ratio with your detangler. And oil should be mixed one part oil to three parts detangler.

3

Dry your hair. Before you can put box braids into your hair, you should make sure your hair is relatively dry. You can use a hair dryer or you can air dry your hair, depending on your preferred method.

4

Gently detangle your hair. Use a wide-toothed comb to brush all knots out of your hair, making it as smooth as possible. Hair that is smooth with thoroughly separated strands will be easier to braid.

Your hair absolutely must be detangled from root to tip. Otherwise, when you try to remove your braids, your hair will only become more tangled and matted. When tangles and mats occur, you increase the risk of breakage and splitting.

Part 2

Creating Box Braids

1

Divide your hair into four sections. You should create four box-like sections: at the front left, the front right, the back left, and the back right. Leave the first section you plan to work on undone, but use a three large hair clips to keep the remaining three sections out of the way.

The sections do not need to be “box-like,” per se, but they need to be evenly divided sections with clearly defined edges.

If you cannot divide your hair into sections using only your fingers, use a wide-toothed comb to help you. Avoid fine-tooth combs, though, since these are more likely to cause knots and mats.

2

Take a pinch of hair from the first section. Traditional box braids are pretty small, so all you need to do in order to get enough hair for the braid is to pinch a small section between your index finger and thumb.

Most people find it easiest to start at the front section on your non-dominant side, but the choice is up to you. Similarly, it's recommended that you start with a pinch of hair toward the front of your chosen section for increased ease.

You will also need to make sure that all future pinches use the same amount of hair. Otherwise, your box braids will look uneven.

3

Secure synthetic hair to this pinch, if desired. You can do box braids with either real, natural hair or extensions. If you plan to use synthetic extensions, now is the time to wrap a section of synthetic hair into your actual hair.[2]

Peel away a pinch of synthetic hair from the package. You can stretch the synthetic hair to help make it longer and more natural looking, and you can also trim it to a shorter length if desired.

Bend this pinched portion of synthetic hair in half, forming a horseshoe or upside-down u-shape.

Separate your pinch of real hair into three sections. The center section should be just barely thicker than the left and right sections.

Place the bend of the extension over the center section of your real hair. The ends of the extension should overlap with the right and left sections of your real hair.

Make a single braid with your hair in this manner. Cross the left section under the center section. Then, pull the right section under the center section, completing a single braid.

The extension should be secure now. Redistribute the hair in this pinched-off portion to create three sections equal in thickness and length.

4

Braid the first pinch. You need to divide your first pinch of hair into exactly three sections as you braid. Doing so creates smoother, neater braids that will be vastly easier to remove afterward.

Braid or continue braiding your hair by continually bringing the left sub-section of hair under the center section, followed by bringing the right sub-section of hair under the new center section.

Braid your hair all the way down to the end of the pinched section.[3]

Add more extensions, if needed. If your first batch of synthetic extensions does not give you the length you desire, you can braid more of the extension hair into the section as soon as you feel the braid becoming thinner. Add the new portions of extension hair to the existing braid by braiding them in using the same technique you used at the start of the braid.

5

Decide whether or not to tie your braids off. These braids are tight enough to stay put on their own without the use of hair elastics, but if you want extra security, you can wrap a small hair elastic at the bottom of the braid. This can be especially helpful if your hair is fairly smooth instead of thick and kinky.

Note, however, that using hair elastics can cause split ends and damage to your hair, so you should avoid using them when possible.

You can also "seal" the ends of synthetic and natural hair by quickly dunking the loose ends into boiling water. Burning off the ends with a lighter or braid sealer is another way to seal the ends. Just make sure to cut above the sealed area of the braid when taking your braids out in order to unbraid them easily.

6

Repeat for the rest of your hair. At this point, you've completed one braid. The rest of your braids should be created in the exact same manner, so repeat this procedure until your entire head of hair has been braided.

Each pinched-off section of hair should be roughly the same length. Otherwise, your braids may look uneven by the time you finish them.

Braiding a whole head can range from 4-12 hours, according to Breanna Rutter of HowToBlackHair.com, to complete in one sitting. This time depends on your skill level/speed or that of a stylist, the number of boxes/braids you desire, the length of the braids, and whether or not you choose to braid in extensions. Other factors that may affect the time of the braiding process could be certain techniques you may want to use, such as Yolanda Renee in her Poetic Justice Braids tutorial on Youtube, or mixing in colored extensions to spice up the look of your braids.

Take your time. This process is a lengthy one, but you can make it even longer if you rush your way through the braids and have to redo them.

Part 3

Caring for Your Braids

1

Cover your braids with a silk or satin scarf at night. This is not strictly necessary, but doing so can prevent your braids from getting frizzy or from attracting lint.

Tie the scarf around your braids at the scalp. If your braids are longer than the scarf itself, you can loosely pin the braids up before wrapping the scarf, effectively shortening them while you sleep, or leave the ends exposed.

Alternatively, you can sleep on a satin pillow to minimize frizziness in a similar manner.

2

Wipe your braids down with witch hazel astringent.[4] Box braids can feel incredibly heavy when wet, so a simpler way to keep the braids looking clean is to wipe them down a couple of times each week with a cloth soaked in witch hazel.

Dampen a clean washcloth with warm water and dab the witch hazel over the cloth thoroughly.

Part your hair and wipe the scalp down in sections.

After your scalp is clean, quickly rub the washcloth over the braids individually. You do not need to scrub the braids; a quick wipe is more than enough.

This is optional, but if you decide to do this, you should cleanse your braids about once a week or so.

3

Wash the scalp with a concoction of regular shampoo and water. This prevents creating lots of bubbles so you don't have to put a lot of water in your hair to wash them out. Wash your hair whenever it feels itchy or dry.

Focus your efforts completely on the scalp, especially if you use the witch hazel on your braids. Shampoo and water are necessary components of a clean, healthy scalp, but the astringent should take care of the braids for the most part.

Every two weeks, however, you should also try to wash the braids themselves.

Additionally, keeping water off the ends of your braids will keep the three separate section of hair separate and distinct, so it will be easier to remove the braids when the time comes.

4

Massage natural oils into your scalp. Keep your scalp moist and hydrated by massaging a natural, organic oil into it twice weekly. Coconut oil, almond oil, and shea butter are among the best types.

Part the braids away to reveal your scalp. Using a cotton pad or cotton ball, or clean fingers, rub a generous dab of oil over your scalp in sections. Try to cover as much of the scalp as possible without getting any oil onto the braids.

5

Take the braids out within two months. Your braids can usually last for six to eight weeks, but even if they still look great past that point, you should still take them down to avoid causing long-term damage to your hair.

Keeping your hair braided for too long can encourage it to break away from the scalp, even causing long-term damage to the hairline.

Unwind the braids with your fingers. Undoing your braids can take as long as putting the braids in, but if you braided carefully, your hair should not be too tangled and the braids should unwind with only a little pressure from your fingertips.

Avoid using a fine-tooth comb when taking your braids down. Since the gaps between the teeth are so narrow, your hair can tangle easily, and you might accidentally end up causing knots at the ends of your hair. These knots can rip and break, creating split ends.

You can also ask friends or family to help with the unbraiding process in order to cut down the time and effort needed. It doesn't take any skill to unbraid, as long as no one damages your hair.

If you had extensions in your hair, it is very easy to remove them. Just unbraid a braid all the way up to where the extension was braided in. Unbraiding should allow it to easily come out. Make sure to throw away the extensions when you're done with them.